


Dare to Love Again

by Miyagi Shinobu (Trinket)



Category: Junjou Romantica
Genre: Bionic Limb, Bombing, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2018-03-30 11:46:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3935641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trinket/pseuds/Miyagi%20Shinobu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When tragedy strikes the terrorist couple, Shinobu is believed to be dead. Miyagi returns to his workaholic ways to get through his grief. Two years after Shinobu's death Miyagi must dare to love again, a young man without a past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disaster

Shinobu smiled down at him, a beautiful smile that he rarely got to see, but when he did see it, it made the whole world shine. He doubted that would be something he'd ever say aloud, lest of all to Shinobu, he didn't need the brat getting too smug for his own good. Sometimes, however, he wondered how he'd deserved to find love again, wondered often why it was that Shinobu loved an old man like himself. He doubted the answer would ever be clear to either of them.

His fingers brushed down Shinobu's neck, tweaking each nipple before falling to the young man's hips and helping him bounce.

He felt his cock engulfed by his young lovers ass and could hear the little terrorist's moans. Moans which sent a shudder of pleasure running through him. The sounds Shinobu made when they were going at it, just made him hornier than fuck.

"Oh god Miyagi! You're getting bigger!"

The corner of the older lovers mouth twitched.

Together now, it was impossible to think of life without _his_ Shinobu-chin.

He watched his young lovers hands slip down to his cock and saw the young man wrap his fingers around himself.

It really was an erotic sight, watching his lover stroke himself while riding him.

He had the best seat to the best view in the world and the greatest thing of all, was that it was only him who'd ever get to see Shinobu like this. Hot and wild and wet.

He could feel Shinobu's muscles clenching around his cock and it was all he could to to stop from groaning, before he and his little terrorist came simultaneously.

"Miyagi!" Cried the younger man, moments later collapsing onto the dark haired man's chest, his tongue darting out to swipe over a nipple.

Miyagi chuckled and used his hand to grip a handful of dirty blonde hair, guiding Shinobu's head up so that their mouths crashed.

There everyday was wonderful, he couldn't imagine anything being any different.

Shinobu, a few minutes later, sighed, murmuring, "Don't you have to get ready for work?"

"And what about you Shinobu-chin, shouldn't you get ready for school?"

"Hmmn, yeah, but I have another two hours before I have to be there today. My first class was canceled, the professor's wife's in the hospital having a baby."

Miyagi was surprised that his little terrorist wasn't going to try and get him to stay with him longer as he got up off the bed. Maybe he was just tired or just replete from what they'd just done.

It got him wondering if he should have sex with Shinobu every day, maybe it would keep him from glowering so much and instead smile more. Like he had earlier.

The quick shower he had, left his hair still mildly damp as he dressed. Finally, he was putting on his tie, when Shinobu, wearing absolutely nothing came up to him.

"Let me help you with your tie Miyagi."

Miyagi quirked a brow down at him, wondering if he could do it. But Shinobu had worn ties with some of his school uniforms, so surely he knew at least how to do that. The only problem was, seeing him without a stitch on made it difficult not to stare at his gorgeous pale body. ' _I'll have to ravish him tonight after work, we don't have time for another round right now!'_ Besides he still needed _some_ recovery time, though probably more so Shinobu.

It was always cute though, when Shinobu couldn't walk or sit after they'd been rather vigorous. One of the reasons he had Shinobu ride him instead of pounding into him like he'd have liked to.

"Are you sure you know how?"

That earned him a glower and the collar of his shirt being held in his young lovers fist.

"Of course I do old man. I wear ties too," though not as often as he once did, nor as often as Miyagi. However as a future lawyer, or whatever he decided to do with the law degree he was pursuing, now in his second year at Teito University, he'd be wearing them _a lot_ more.

As usual, his terrorist insisted on calling him an old man. Shinobu was too easy to irritate and over such a small question. He could have just given a simple yes. Sometimes he still wondered how he could think the kid was cute.

He was surprised that Shinobu actually managed to tie his tie and to reward him, he smirked and leaned down to brush a kiss over his mouth while his hands gripped his ass cheeks.

Shinobu's eyes widened, "Miyagi!" He frowned, but his face was completely red.

This was why he thought he was unbearably cute.

"We'll finish this later Shinobu-chin, but right now I've got to get to work."

Picking up his briefcase for work, he exited their apartment and was soon out the door of the building.

Shinobu watched his lover out the window, after he'd pulled on the top to Miyagi's pajama's. He waved to him and felt slightly flushed when Miyagi appeared to spot him and waved back.

Stepping backwards, away from the window, he spun around to go shower himself and dress. He did have to get ready for school after all, he had other classes besides the one which had been canceled.

He hoped his professors wife pulled through and had a healthy baby.

Pulling on his jacket, he stared at the clock, listening to it's continuous tic-toc-tic-toc.

Giving his hair one last quick comb through, he pulled the straps to his duffel bag for school over his shoulder and put on his shoes in front of the door.

He'd have breakfast at the University when he got there, he'd have time if he left right then. As long as he was busy he wouldn't think of Miyagi... too much.

Hurriedly he caught the train headed for his second University of choice. He'd only chosen it, because of his parents wanting him to go to a place that fit his academic abilities. In truth, he'd much rather have attended Mitsuhashi, because Miyagi worked there and he could have taken his class.

However, he was living with Miyagi now, so it wasn't all bad. It wasn't bad at all, except he worried about his boyfriends assistant.

Miyagi was hardly a boy though, but sometimes he could act just as immature as one. So usually he felt that the term lover fit a whole hell of a lot better.

Once he was let off at his stop, his brows furrowed. There didn't seem to be that many people at the school.

Walking past the gates, he noticed other students exiting the building in an orderly fashion, yet on all of their faces, horror was written.

"Excuse me, what's going on?"

"We don't know, no one will tell us anything, but the premises is being evacuated. That usually equates to _danger_."

Shinobu blinked, are they sure this wasn't just some prank with someone going around saying they had to evacuate or worse someone making a prank and threatening without actually intending to do anything?

He turned to leave with the rest of the crowd, but heard a wail inside.

His eyes widened, he couldn't let this stampede of people trample someone, he'd heard of things like that happening before in old papers he'd read.

Quickly, he weaved, zig zagging through the crowd which was exiting the building, trying to locate the wail.

Then, his chest tightening, he realized that this portion of the building housed the day care. What if a little kid had gotten left behind?

His frown deepened the lines of his mouth as he turned in the direction of the entrance to the day care portion of the building. No way was he letting a little kid suffer, if anything _did_ happen. Nor was he going to let them remain alone and completely lost if nothing did happen. There was no reason for the child, whomever the child was, to feel neglected and forgotten.

Running down the hall, once in the day care, he scanned the rooms and finally he found a little girl with pigtails standing just outside a bathroom door clinging tightly to a little pink and white panda bear.

He kneeled down on his knees and asked her, "Hello there, what's your name?"

"I na s'posed to tawk to stwangors."

"That's a good rule to follow, but everyone's evacuating the building, so you shouldn't stay here. It's dangerous."

In the background he could hear sirens, several of them. They probably had some officials coming to inspect the place just in case there was a bomb or something.

The little girl backed away from him when he offered her his hand, her wide chocolate brown puppy like eyes stared at him wearily.

"Waz da secwet wooed?"

"Please?"

The little girl shook her head and she began to tear up yet again.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help you."

Pigtails flew as she shook her head.

Growing irritated, Shinobu stood up and swooped her into his arms. He was getting her the fuck out of there even if she bit and scratched him.

He ran down the hall he'd just come from, his eyes widening as he heard the sound of tic-toc-tic-toc like the clock he and Miyagi had back home.

However this tic-toc seemed faster and he didn't see a clock anywhere! Gulping he said, "Oh god...there's a bomb."

The little girl stopped her struggles hearing that and clung to him.

The damn bomb started talking as though there'd been a preset recording.

"This bomb will detonate in five."

His heart pounding he neared the door.

"Four."

His hand reached out and turned the door knob.

"Three."

Holding the little girl in his arms, he ran out the door.

"Two."

He saw down what looked like the longest hall he'd ever seen, though he'd seen it time and time before, it had never looked so damn long.

"One."

He dove to the ground, shielding the little girl as a loud boom seemed to shatter his eardrums. He felt the floor shake beneath him and saw the ceiling caving in. He'd made it between the door, but one of his legs was not so lucky as metal from a mangled beam sluiced through it, even through the bone it was so hot from the explosion.

Beneath him, the little girl wailed, holding her hands to her ears, her eyes shut tight.

He noticed nothing after that as the world went black.

One of the men in a black suit ran up once they noticed him and called his partners over.

"Take the child to where everyone else is and have Miyoshi look her over," he handed the little three year old to his youngest partner, the rookie.

His eyes returned to the blonde, it looked like his left arm was mangled and caught between cylinder.

The lucky bastard was still breathing and even luckier yet, passed out and he'd been found before bleeding to death.

"Help me move him. We should call our boss and have the lab ready. I don't know if it was a clean enough cut to put his limbs back together," he muttered.

His partner agreed, "And if they're not, he'll wind up being the boss's pet project, you know his wife is a scientist in advanced robotics that not even the public, no not even the government knows about.

"Just shut up and help me here. He's going to die if we don't hurry up!"

Once they had the sleeping, injured young man free they placed him on a stretcher into their companies ambulance and rushed him to their underground facilities. Before they arrived they'd placed a call in and everything was hurriedly prepped for his arrival.

They hadn't been able to free his leg from all the rubble, the place still too unsteady and the building continuing to crumble.

When he was brought to the examination table, the look on the woman's face was maniacal, frightening as she clapped her hands together in glee.

"Oh wonderful! Such a specimen!" She checked his pulse and pursued her lips, "But he's barely got a pulse, we'd better hurry."

One of the men found the boy's identification card and his donar card.

The woman grinned, "Good, we have that blood type in our blood bank. Fresh blood is better though, so we'll have to use yours."

Rolling his eyes he prepared for the inevitable.

Twirling around with merriment, as though there weren't someone who'd been about to die, who still might she got out something to measure with and flicked on her computer.

"Ever since I watched Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man re-runs I've been dying for this day to come. I'm going to create the first _real_ bionic man."

She didn't seem to care that the man might have a family who was sick and worried about him, because surely the news would have spread by now and if they found the kid's leg, people would surely assume the worst.

"So, it was just his right a couple inches above the knee and his arm at the shoulder. What about his hearing? Explosions can do a horrible thing to one's hearing. I suppose we wont know until he's conscious though."

Some of her husbands workers wondered why they even worked under him when he had such a crazy woman not only as a wife, but as a partner in crime. Well it wasn't really crime, but it sometimes felt like it, such as now.

* * *

Miyagi smiled as he reached his office first thing in the morning. "Good morning Kami~jo~u!"

Hiroki glared at him, "Good morning Professor." He did wonder what had the man in such a good mood, but at least he wasn't trying to glomp him and cause another avalanche of books.

Miyagi plopped himself into his swivel chair and took from his brief case papers, checking them over once more before his first class of the day would start.

"Shinobu was great this morning. How about you and that giant of yours? Is everything going well?"

Hiroki's brows furrowed as he gazed at the professor suspiciously while he worked on his own papers. "Everything is fine, professor."

Just then, the dean stormed into the room, causing both men to jump and turn around.

Miyagi and Hiroki asked together, "What's wrong sir?"

The dean, shaken, stared at them both. "Teito University."

Miyagi frowned, "What about Teito?"

"There was en explosion!"

The dark haired man stood up, feeling queasy, but Shinobu's first class had been canceled, so surely he hadn't yet gone to class.

"I've tried getting a hold of Shinobu, but I haven't been able to."

That had him all the more worried.

Hiroki just stared between the two older men. He didn't know what to say, he wasn't good when it came to dealing with grief and he was not the type to offer any form of comfort. He just hoped the dean's brat, despite being a brat, was okay.

Miyagi glanced at Hiroki, "Do you mind taking my classes for me?"

"Uh, sure," he'd have to let Nowaki he'd be home late tonight, but _if_ something had happened to the Takatsuki brat, this was one time he wasn't going to yell at the man to do his own damn work. He couldn't imagine losing a son, but he didn't even have one. But the thought of losing a lover, now that he could sympathize with more and it was fucking scary to even think about.

Miyagi turned back to the dean, "Were you going to Teito? If you'd like some company, I'd be more than willing to go with you."

The dean nodded, "Yes, I think I could use the company. I'm praying that Shinobu wasn't there and that he just lost his cell phone somewhere."

He was hoping exactly the same thing.

His hold on the steering wheel grew white the closer they got to Teito University, the more he could see of the now destroyed building.

 _'Please_ _ **don't**_ _let Shinobu-chin be in that mess._ '

Parking a block away, he and the dean of Mitsuhashi's Literature department ran to where yellow caution tape had been put up.

Firemen were digging and shifting through the rubble.

What they found was a cellphone that had a mustached panda bear phone charm and then they pulled out a severed leg, but couldn't find the rest of the body.

Shakily, he picked up his own cell and dialed Shinobu's number. The cellphone the firemen held went off and Miyagi immediately knew just who the cell belonged to. And that leg.

For the first time in his thirty-six years, he passed out while the dean slid to his knees and began to sob. He too realized just whose cell and leg that had to be. Especially when he'd seen Miyagi dialing it.

A week later, Miyagi was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at his papers. Even Kamijou hadn't said _boo_ to him.

"Professor, those who are grief stricken, should stay home. It's only been a week, you should have taken more than three days off for the funeral!"

His midnight blue eyes, black with grief, glanced silently at his assistant.

"Even the Dean took time off."

"No one, but you know that Shinobu and I were lovers."

"Then tell the Dean..." thinking it over again he grimaced, "No, on second thought don't tell him. You don't need to get fired and I don't need to be scrutinized."

Miyagi dipped his head and glanced back at his work and picking up a pen, he began the monotonous task of correcting papers. Life was calm and quiet without Shinobu-chin, but it was also dull and painful! Work was the only thing he could do to stop himself from thinking. That and getting drunk and smoking like a fiend.

* * *

When Shinobu finally woke, it had been three and a half weeks since he'd been involved in the explosion. His head pounded and his arms and legs felt odd.

Staring up at the ceiling, he noticed someone standing over him.

The woman grinned down at him, "Well finally, you're awake Shinobu!"

"Who are you? Where am I? And who is Shinobu?"

The woman blinked, "Why, you're Shinobu! Wait no, better call you something else. Your name is Shintaka Tsuki."

"Well, which is it?" He glowered at the woman, unhappy and confused.

"Shintaka Tsuki," the woman was delighted that he didn't remember the truth, it would make it so much easier to get him to work for their secret detective agency.

The sandy haired youth rolled the name around on his tongue, it felt foreign, but then so did everything else, "Shintaka Tsuki."

"Yes and you're a detective, well one could even say a spy I guess. On your last mission, unfortunately there was an explosion and you lost your right leg and left arm."

Staring at the woman suspiciously, he glanced at his arms and down at his legs as he moved the sheet aside, wearing nothing but a hospital gown. "I don't appear to have lost them."

"That's because, I being the great genius that I am, particularly in robotics and bionics or whatever you want to call it was able to give you new limbs. They're better, make you faster and stronger, although really only in one leg and one arm. It appears your hearing is fine so I don't have to tamper with your ears," she sighed as though she were disappointed.

Tsuki already did not like this woman.

"Anyway we've got a new mission, but we have to go to British Columbia, Canada for two years. We'll be departing next week, thankfully you're awake, on the companies private jet. Our company has been called in to crack down on a drug smuggling ring, which also deals in the black baby market. After that we'll be returning here."

"What about my family?"

The woman blinked, staring at him blankly and then placing her hand over her mouth.

The others who worked for her husband often thought she was a great actress, if a bit of a bitch for messing with peoples bodies or minds, "I'm sorry Tsuki-kun, but you were a black market baby. Your real mother died giving birth to you, never knew who your father was and the couple who bought you once they had their own baby gave you to my husband and I. So Tsuki-kun, I'm your Okaa-san."

Something didn't feel right, but how was he to argue when he couldn't remember anything anyway.

It looked like he'd be going to Canada soon. He wasn't happy about it, but if this really was his Okaa-san, then who was he to argue.


	2. British Colombia

Gray eyes peered open as the morning light shined brightly through the window.

Shielding his sight with his hand, he grumbled and threw aside the covers.

They'd arrived in British Columbia the night before last and he'd still been too tired to do anything, except sleep and had barely eaten anything.

Something, was missing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

When he'd tried to ask his Okaa-san about his memories, she'd only brush him off, telling him it was unwise to be force fed information.

Worst, were the dreams, of a faceless man mouthing words of love or perverted words to him.

 _'Am I gay?'_ He'd question himself, unable to broach the subject with any of Okaa-san's underlings or her husband.

But, he could not bring himself to call them Okaa-san or Otou-san directly. It didn't feel right.

Whenever he said it didn't feel right to them, they simply brushed it off as part of his memory problems. Memories they weren't even trying to help him regain.

Needless to say, he was suspicious, but without any evidence to the contrary, he'd been unable to do anything.

And now, they wanted him to start his re-training as a spy and to infiltrate a particular school as a teacher's aide or student.

They hadn't even told him how old he was, but he didn't think he was in high school any longer.

He wondered why it was, he could think those things, or remember how to use chopsticks or math equations, but not something as important as who someone was. Including himself.

His brows furrowed, irritated that he could not recall even the important events of his own life.

Getting up off the bed, he walked to the connecting bathroom and removed his pajamas once he'd gotten everything ready.

Bubble baths had always been soothing. That it was something so simple that he could remember, had his fingers digging into his palms.

Slowly, stepping into the tub, he carefully lowered himself into a sitting position and sighed contently as the hot water warmed and soothed his aching, weary, cold body.

Closing his eyes, he tried to search for memories he'd forgotten after the accident back in Japan.

Wrinkles formed on his forehead.

Lifting his hand, he pressed his fingers against his forehead and then his temples.

Always, each time he tried to search for what it was he could no longer remember, a pounding headache would start.

No matter what, he wanted to remember. Particularly about the faceless, voiceless man in his dreams. If the man were real at all and not simply a figment of his imagination.

This memory, he thought, was far more important than all the rest. For each time he dreamed of the man, his heart would thump wildly against his ribcage, or he'd wake up in serious need of a change of underwear.

If only he could remember the mans face, or his name, some clue that would help him.

And, if the man were real, to return to his side and leave behind the stress of his current situation. Here, was not where he wished to be. Spying was not something he wished to do, but if it were truly his occupation of choice before he'd lost his memory, then he'd still be here when those memories resurfaced.

When a knock at the door came, he lifted his head. "I'll be done soon, so you can wait!"

They never gave him enough time to enjoy himself.

Okaa-san, whose name was actually Nihuna Nadia of the Tohaku region of Japan he'd recently learned, was always poking and prodding him.

She treated him not as a mother would a child, adopted or not, but as a specimen, something less than human when he was not a robot.

Sure, she'd given him two bionic limbs, but he still bleed, breathed and had human emotions.

He'd rather have not had those limbs at all, if it meant he was treated like a person and not a lab experiment.

But first, he had to remember things he'd forgotten and then, he'd decide what his next plan of action was.

For now, he'd bide his time and learn all the tricks of a spy. However, whenever his memory returned, if they'd not been truthful to him, there would be hell to pay.

Once out of the tub and towel dried, he changed into his jeans and pale blue button down shirt with matching socks and a pair of black leather military style combat boots.

Stepping out of his room, he glanced down the hall and caught sight of Miyoshi, the medic of their so called team.

He was androgynous as they came with his slender frame, feminine facial features, soft pouting lips, long dark eyelashes and a slightly feminine voice. He'd even grown his hair down to the middle of his back, oft worn in a pony tail.

His thick framed black glasses with their thick lenses detracted from his pretty features. The man never smiled either and always had his nose buried in some medical jargon book.

Miyoshi, finally looked up and spotted him. "Tsuki, you're awake and ready for the new day, I'm glad to see. I'm sure Nihuna-san and her husband will be pleased."

Even his name, Tsuki, didn't feel quite right. Every time he heard it, he didn't immediately respond, thinking they were talking to someone else.

"And, where is Nihuna-san?"

"In the lab. She wants to test your endurance, speed and strength again."

Tsuki wanted to yell, or better yet, kick in the wall, or knock someones lights out. He was sick of the tests they'd been performing on him ever since he'd awoke a week ago.

Each time, his stomach would revolt, because there was just something in their eyes and tones that didn't sit well with him.

Especially Nihuna Nadia's eyes. She looked maniacal and at other times malicious, whether directed at him or someone else, he didn't know, nor did he care.

He only wanted to escape, or at least be left alone long enough to enjoy his sleep, his food and his bath.

With a sigh of annoyance, he nodded to Miyoshi and made his way in the labs direction. He'd not yet had breakfast, but what did that matter to these people, who were strangers to him, even if they insisted otherwise.

Standing outside the door of the lab, he leaned against the frame. "Good morning."

The woman looked up, the smile she directed his way didn't appear to reach her eyes.

He felt an unpleasant shiver run through him.

"Why, good morning Tsuki. Are you ready for today's examinations and lessons?"

Not really, but he didn't say so. He'd said so before, but had been ridiculed and forced to run through their tests. It didn't matter how tired he was, nor how much he complained. For him, there was no escape.

Hell, they even kept the windows and doors locked with bars as reinforcements. That made their setup and his involvement all the more suspicious.

Unfortunately, he had no ally to turn to. They were all of them, on _her_ side.

Shrugging, he stepped into the room. "Ready as I'll ever be." But had he been able to, he would have stormed out of that building and far, far away.

They'd been able to trick him, long enough to get him here, far away from Japan. Surely, someone was there, who'd know the truth. Even if the truth was really as Nihuna Nadia and her cohorts had told him time and time again.

That he was an unwanted child they'd taken in as their own and raised to be a spy, whom during one of his missions had lost one arm and one leg.

All outward appearances said otherwise, but each artificial limb had a small spot to open to mess with the wires, or place a new battery in.

"Good. I think we'll begin with the speed and endurance test Tsuki. I... we want to make sure that there will be no problems when you begin at the Kelowna High School tomorrow."

He didn't care about their plans, but he'd play along with them, until he knew the truth and nothing _but_ the truth.

If they saw him as some simpering idiot whom they could treat like nothing more than a guinea pig, they'd soon enough learn otherwise. No one made a fool of him and got away with it. Certainly not on this level.

Removing his shirt so that they could hook him up to the heart and blood pressure monitors, he got on the tread mill – after doing a few stretches first and began walking.

Every couple of minutes, without warning, the damn woman, Nihuna-san would up the speed and incline of the damn exercise machine.

He didn't know how he could control the new limbs he'd been given, but he was far from easily winded even at the top speed and incline.

' _This so fucking boring._ '

Tsuki wanted to stop and pick up the damn thing and throw it at the researchers heads.

They didn't care about him as an individual, of this he was certain, because they would have given him some warning, or listened to his earlier complaints.

Now, if these bionic limbs could help anyone, that was a legitimate reason to except being a guinea pig. However, they were not testing him, or rather his mechanical limbs for the benefit of the other amputees, but instead for a spy mission.

' _If they're not really who they say they are, it might not even be for a spy mission, but something illegal! Like smuggling or assassination.'_

Did they even mention something like that, in not so many words, he'd make sure they were caught, tried and put away for their crimes.

The woman commented, "Your blood pressure is getting rather high Tsuki. Perhaps for now, you should stop and we can take a blood sample."

He had no qualms about stopping, but he frowned in her direction as the tread mill conveyor belt came to a stop, "Didn't you just take a sample last night?"

Every day, he wondered why he kept thinking that these people were telling him lies, that they were bad. They hadn't hurt him and they'd given him a new arm and leg to replace the ones which had been lost in the accident he'd been in as they explained.

Vaguely, he remembered an explosion and a little girl he'd risked his life to save. Which when he'd asked about the little girl, they'd confirmed she was real and that she was fine and had been reunited with her University bound parents.

Nihuna-san nodded, "I know, but this is necessary to make sure that your immune system isn't reacting badly to your limbs, even though they're not technically part of your DNA or blood system."

With a weary sigh and furrowed brows, he sat down on the bench and held out his natural arm and waited for the needle point. He wanted it over with. He was tired of being pricked with needles. Just the sight of them had his stomach churning and bile rising to his throat, the back of his eyelids burning to the point he almost fainted.

He shivered as something cold and wet was wiped over the middle of his arm.

When he felt the band being tied just above where the woman intended to take blood from him, he turned his head and closed his eyes.

If only he were anywhere, but there.

Tsuki gritted his teeth as he felt a slight pinch in his arm, and several seconds later, it was over.

His eyes opened and he looked down to see a piece of cotton pressed onto the spot the needle had hit.

Holding it there, he waited for the usual band-aid that one would expect any phlebotomist to use. This idiot woman always forgot.

At least her husband didn't, because he walked over to him, band-aid in hand. The man proceeded to place the band-aid over the cotton ball on the crook of his arm, the sticky ends clinging to his skin.

"May I go eat now? I haven't had breakfast yet this morning."

The woman looked at him with narrowed eyes and a frown, but she didn't deny him his sustenance.

"Fine, go eat, Tsuki. You'll be of no use to me...us, if you don't get your energy through nutrition."

Again, he knew she could have cared less about his welfare, but obviously knew that in order to continue on with her plans, whatever they might be, he needed to eat.

Bowing slightly to her, he then turned and exited the room.

At least, tomorrow, he'd not be constantly subjected to her constant prodding and pricking him with needles.

Maybe, he'd find someone whom he could talk to at the Kelowna High School.

' _I probably shouldn't, not about this, who'd believe me anyway?'_

But, he had to find a way to regain his memories, whether he'd like them or not.

His stomach growled as he entered the kitchen. Even the cook was suspicious and he didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. Well with only his natural arm, because the bionic one was just a bit too strong for him to be comfortable with, least he accidentally break or hurt someone.

The man turned to him, staring blankly, without a smile or a greeting. "What would you like for dinner, Shintaka-san?"

After pouring himself a mug of coffee he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "Can you make a traditional Japanese breakfast?"

He was tired of western-styled food. He yearned for something that tasted like _home_.

"Yes. I'll get to it right now."

It was some time later that finally he was able to partake of mouthwatering steamed white rice, miso soup, umeboshi, a raw egg and nori, grilled fish and even green tea.

He cracked the egg and stirred it in a small bowl before pouring it onto the hot rice. He couldn't remember when last he'd had tamago kake gohan.

He couldn't remember a lot, but his stomach and taste buds remembered just how much he liked the dishes that had been prepared for him.

But while it filled a hole in his stomach it filled neither the hole in his memories nor the hole in his heart.

He ached for a love he could not remember and the voices of family he could not put a name to, whether he was making it up in his head or not.

With a heavy sigh, he finished his morning meal, despite it having tasted like cardboard half way through.

He only hoped that tomorrow would be better than that day or the days that had come before.

* * *

"Here we are Tsuki, your first new day at school. It was easiest to get you in as a senior."

The very idea that he had to go through a torturous final year of High School had one of his eyes ticking a couple of times.

But, at least he was away from the laboratory and no one here, he hoped, would even treat him like some bizarre, but useful experiment.

With a brand new backpack and clothes, he got out of the van and hurried up the steps of the school. The quicker he got away from Nihuna Nadia, if only for the hours he'd be at the school, the better.

Walking down the halls, he found his homeroom and walked in. The late bell hadn't yet rung.

He walked up to the teacher, who was writing on the chalk board, but said nothing till she was finished.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

She turned around to look at him quizzically. "Yes?"

"I'm... Tsuki Shintaka," he had to remember that unlike Japan, Canada used ones given name, first, "the new transfer student."

"Ah, yes." She smiled at him and indicated a seat in the front row. "Please have a seat and I'll look up your locker number for you."

He bowed politely, "Thank you," and turned to sit down.

The person who walked in next, sat to his right. She had long brown hair and eyes to match.

He turned to her and introduced himself. "Hello. I'm Tsuki Shintaka."

The girl gazed at him, wide eyed. He didn't understand why, but eventually, she smiled and held out her hand.

"I'm Moymoy, it's a pleasure to meet you, Tsuki. Sorry to ask, but, are you from Japan?"  
He nodded, "Originally, yes," he shook her hand. That was the only thing he was certain of.

When the bell rang for those who were tardy to class, they both turned toward the front of the class.

This was a matter of taking early morning roll call, before they'd go on to their first period in fifteen minutes.

Once roll call was done, the teacher glanced at the time.

"Until the bell rings, you may talk _quietly_."

Tsuki turned back to look at Moymoy, watching curiously as she scribbled away in her notebook.

"What are you writing?"

She closed the notebook and glanced at him, "I don't think you need to know that. So, what class do you have next?"

He pulled out the sheet he'd been given yesterday afternoon when Nihuna-san had returned from her outing.

"Looks like, French. I have no idea where all these classes are."

"Well, I have that class next, you can follow me, okay?"

He smiled in relief, "Thanks," and pocked his schedule.

Their homeroom teacher came up to him then and set a folded sticky note on his table. "This is your locker number and combination."

"Thank you Ms. Rizen."

He still didn't know what he was actually doing there. But, it was some kind of cover, so perhaps he was supposed to gather intelligence. Yet, what could possibly be going on in the school that needed a spy, albeit one still in training.

The bell for the next class rang and he got up to go to his locker, just to check and make sure the number and combination were correct.

Moymoy's locker was two away from his, apparently in alphabetical order.

"I don't have any text books, do you think the teacher will have any extras?"  
"I'm pretty sure there's extra books. Not every year has the same number of students and this years class was smaller than the last, at least for the French year."

"I see."

When she'd gotten what she needed, he followed her down the hall, around the corner and down the stairs.

Taking a left, they entered a mid sized classroom with about twenty seats, not all of which were taken.

Maybe he was making a new friend, but they'd only recently met, but she seemed nice enough.

He was still curious about what she'd been writing, but obviously, from her reaction, she didn't want him to read it.

If it were a personal notebook and not one for the classes she had, then, it made sense. Not even he would want a stranger reading his deepest, darkest secrets – if they were all that dark at all.

Once they'd sat down, this time two rows and three columns apart, he felt slightly bereft.

He needed a friend and someone whom he could confide in, but his current situation wasn't something that he felt he should just start blabbing on about right away.

When the tardy bell rang, he pulled out a notebook and waited for the teacher to introduce him to the class as well as introduce himself to him.

"I see we 'ave a new student with us."

Everyone else turned in their seats to stare at him.

"Please, come to the 'ead of the class and introduce yourself."

He had a feeling, the whole day was going to be like this and wished to be back at his previous school, wherever that had been.

Standing up, he walked to the head of the class and bowed, "I am … Tsuki Shintaka. I am from Tokyo, Japan. Please treat me well."

The students snickered, except for two of them. One was Moymoy and he had no idea who the other student was.

His hair was pitch black and his eyes were a dark blue. His heart pounded against his chest, but gazing into the boys face, his heart sank, disappointed.

In that instant, he wondered what the hell he could have been expecting.

He gazed at the back wall, not directly meeting anyone's gaze as each of them introduced themselves.

Once that was over, he sat down and the teacher began the lecture.

He had a feeling that French was not something he knew well, if at all. English and Japanese – yes, but he didn't know about any other foreign languages.

He'd have to see if either he could drop the course, or find a way to catch up with the level everyone else was at. Had he the foundation for the language, it would have been a snap, but to suddenly be thrust into an advanced level did not sit well with him.

But, he swore he'd already finished High School and so should not have been there in the first place.

Nihuna-san had a lot to explain, but he had an inkling she'd say very little, if anything on the matter.

He was relieved once the class and the day was over, except for his last period of the day, which was a study hall that he shared with Moymoy.

"Moymoy, I'm sorry to bother you, but, I was hoping we could be friends."

She stared up at him from where she sat, "I don't think anyone's quite that direct anymore."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it and, as long as you don't do any sort of backstabbing, I'd be glad to be friends with you. Although, I can't see you as the backstabbing sort. You actually, remind me of one of my favorite fictional characters."

His brows furrowed, "Who?"

She appeared to grow uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat, her cheeks slightly darkened.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have too."

He sat down beside her, "But, could you help me with this French homework?"

She smiled, "Sure!"


End file.
